Dalia Khera '23 Recruiting Profile

One of my main aspirations for college is to play tennis at a collegiate level. I have been playing tennis since the age of seven, and the tennis court is really like a second home to me in so many ways. It has been a place for me to step out of my introverted persona, make lifetime friendships, and share fond memories with my family. Both of my siblings play tennis as well, and spending time together on the road traveling to tournaments and playing doubles alongside them as well as against them has been priceless. 

This past year, I was co- captain for the St. John’s School Varsity Girls' Tennis Team as a junior, and I was once again selected to be co-captain for the 2022-2023 school year as a senior. The 2021-2022 year was an exciting year to be co-captain as our team was the number one seed in our region and the Southwest Preparatory Conference champions finally after 3 years. I was undefeated as line 1 doubles throughout the season which helped secure our victory for the SPC championship. However, I am most proud of the bond my co-captain and I worked at developing between our teammates both on and off the court which I believe helped achieve our goal of winning the SPC championship as well as creating lasting friendships. Serving as team captain during my junior year helped solidify my skills of balancing tennis (when it came to practice and leadership) with a demanding academic schedule. This year gave me the confidence to realize that I can achieve my academic goals while playing tennis at a competitive level in college.  While tennis appears to be a solo sport to many, in my experience, tennis is a team sport in which teammates support each other despite the outcome. This team sport has taught me how to be a leader, a self-confident athlete, gracious when it comes to losses, and above all, a team-player.